Autumn Bliss Color Option

Autumn Appliqué Table Topper

The use of prints sets quilt tester Laura Boehnke’s version of Autumn Bliss apart from the original. “Don’t be afraid to choose a strong print or plaid as the appliqué foundation,” Laura says. Her appliqués, in the rich colors of the Farmhouse 2 collection by Buggy Barn for Henry Glass & Co., hold their own against a prominent gold-and-red homespun background. Laura machine-blanket-stitched around each fused appliqué with black thread for a folk art look.

Scrap Happy Color Option

1930s Scrappy Wall Hanging

Collectors of 1930s prints may enjoy this smaller, more nostalgic version of Scrap Happy. Quilt tester Laura Boehnke selected reproduction prints from the Everything but the Kitchen Sink collection by RJR Fabrics.

For a fresh, fun twist, Laura used solid white sashing strips, then added black-and-white prints in the sashing squares, setting triangles, and border.

Cottage Garden Color Option

Pink Flower Table Topper

Are you new to appliqué and want to start out small before committing to a whole project? Take quilt tester Laura Boehnke’s lead and make this one-block table topper. Fabrics are from Robert Callaham’s Canterbury collection for Red Rooster Fabrics.

Flying Solo Color Option

Easy Triangles Table Runner

Instead of varying the triangles in each row by lights and darks, quilt tester Laura Boehnke varied them by fabric type. Using the Colorweaves collection from Marcus Fabrics, Laura alternated between soft stripes and heathered solids.

“Although my interpretation of Flying Solo has a slightly modern look, the colors are so soft and liveable, I think many people could still imagine it in their homes,” Laura says.

Reach for the Stars Color Option

Americana Lone Star

The Antique Americana collection from RJR Fabrics steals the show in quilt tester Laura Boehnke’s version of Reach for the Stars. The two-color collage of vintage advertisements provides an unexpected background in the LeMoyne Star blocks and setting units. Abrupt changes from light prints to dark prints make this small Lone Star radiate. “To visually contain the star, I added a trio of borders,” Laura says.

Roundabout

Create the illusion of circles using only straight seams. In an updated version of the classic Pineapple block, rounds of strips are added in a variety of widths. Contrast in the color and scale of fabrics used creates a distinctive pattern.

Roundabout Color Option

One-Block Roundabout

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke worked from the inside out and framed a dynamic print from the Laguna collection for Timeless Treasures with coordinating prints and stripes. By making just one block and adding borders the same width as the original pattern, Laura created a 33-1/2"-square-finished version of Roundabout to use as a table topper or small wall hanging. For added interest, she pieced small stripe triangles before making them into border corners.